


A Day Under The Sun

by CyclonicJet



Series: A Dance of Fire and Flowers [6]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 22:02:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18747973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyclonicJet/pseuds/CyclonicJet
Summary: Lyanna and Vaelia go clothes shopping.





	A Day Under The Sun

The sun beamed down brightly upon the world, in what Lyanna assumed was an attempt to cook it. The air was thick and the ground scorching to the touch. It was the kind of weather Lyanna could endure, but in no way enjoy. The upper district of Valris, the Qunecy regions capital, was just like every other town in Envalos.

Ornate buildings with ostentatious affects lined the streets. Fountains gurgled quietly at every other square they came upon. Men and women in lavish clothes bustled by this way and that, and at the heart of it all stood the grandeur that was the palace of Firtera. A massive and imposing building that seemed to loom over the city like a juggernaut. It was where once the kings of Quency had sat, before Envalos had conquered them. Now it simply stood as a foreboding lesson in pride.

While Lyanna walked down these streets, suffering in abject silence, Vaelia strolled beside her. She had always reveled in the sun, no matter how merciless. That was where the two of them differed greatly. Vaelia abruptly bounced up onto the heels of her feet, turned around, and continued strolling along backwards. “So Ly!” she said enthusiastically. “What the plan for today!?”

“Plan?” she pondered aloud. She had no plan for today, other then to boil in her skin. She had no head in the heat to think straight.

“Yeah you know!” Vaelia exclaimed. “Where are we heading!? What are we going to do when we get there!? That sort of thing!”

“Ughhh.” Lyanna let out. Her mind was addled under the bright light above, she didn’t even want to think about adventures right now. “Nowhere. Nothing.” she finally said.

She could see Vaelia deflate somewhat at that. “Oh…” she said somewhat forlornly “Well that’s ok!” she said perking back immediately. “It’s a beautiful day and we have each other. That’s enough for me!”

“Sounds great!” Lyanna said with faux enthusiasm. It failed to fool Vaelia.

Vaelia’s eyes were suddenly boring into her. “What's wrong?” she asked softly.

There was no point lying to her. “The heat.” she mumbled. “It disagrees with me.”

Vaelia propped an eyebrow and stared from Lyanna to the sky and back. “I’ve never known you to suffer in the heat before Ly.”

“Yeah. Well I am today.” she said flatly.

“Ok.” Vaelia said nodding her head slowly. “Then let’s go find some shade.” She stopped to spin her head around the area. “Quickly! Into this shop!” she said grabbing Lyanna’s arm and dragging her through the nearest doorway.

The moment the sun was off her skin Lyanna felt a great sense of relief. The heat still pervaded everything around her, but it no longer beat down on her like a whip. As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting inside she came to realise they were in a dress shop.

Garments of every kind lined the walls and on tables scattered around the room. Vaelia had already vanished amongst the racks of clothes, in search of something new to wear no doubt.

Vaelia had always been a lot more fashion conscious then herself. Lyanna was more than content in her glamorous white robes, she felt they had a timeless look to them. Vaelia often teased her about it, but she never let it get to her. She looked exactly how she wanted to look and she was fine with that.

Still, despite herself, she found herself perusing the myriad attires surrounding her. They ranged from wonderous dresses and formal suits, to the mundane and drab effects of everyday life.

Just as she was beginning to become bored of staring at fabric, and began to wonder where Vaelia had gotten to, her love appeared seemingly out of nowhere. She was dressed in a radiant blue dress. The dress itself was stunning, but it was so poorly mismatched with Vaelia herself it beggared belief.

“So!” Vaelia cooed. “What do you think?” Lyanna gaped, her mind working through the fuzz the heat had induced. The wheels were grinding slowly, but they weren’t connected to anything.

“It’s ugh...it’s nice.” she finally replied. She hadn’t sounded very convincing, and naturally Vaelia picked up on it

Her eyes sharpened. “Well then. Tell me. What’s wrong with it?” she asked with genuine interest.

“Nothing!” Lyanna said defensively. “It’s just that ugh…”

“It’s just...what?” Vaelia drawled somewhat.

“It doesn’t- I mean it isn’t-” she fumbled for the right words. “It ill suits you is all.” she finally said.

“It does huh?” Vaelia said. “How so?”

Lyanna really wanted out of this conversation, but could see no way to escape it. “Well umm. It’s blue.” she said dumbly.

A faint smile cracked Vaelia’s lips. “It’s blue?” she said. “That’s what’s wrong with it?”

“No!” Lyanna cried. Vaeia’s wane smile vanished.

“Well then what is wrong?” she plied. Lyanna mentally whipped herself, that had been the perfect opportunity to get out of this and she had blown it with a single word. She fumbled around, desperately seeking another means of escaping this conversation.

“I just don’t think it’s the dress for you.” Lyanna said hoping that would alleviate the situation.

“You don’t think so?” Vaelia said staring into a nearby mirror. “Well I rather liked it.” she said somewhat forelornely.

“Then you should get it!” Lyanna said. “If you like it that’s what matters.”

“I also care what you think Ly-Ly.” she said still staring at the mirror. “If you think it’s wrong then there must be something I’m missing.”

“No! You’re not.” Lyanna said. Her mind was screaming at her to shut up but the heat had addled it to much. “The dress is lovely. It’s just that it…” ‘SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!’ her inner voice roared. “...sort of clashes with who you are.”

Vaelia’s eyelids slid down a little. “Clashes with me?” she said turning a look onto Lyanna. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing at all!” Lyanna said. Why did she have to say anything? “But…” Nothing good ever followed a but. “Frilly blue just isn’t you.”

“So tell me. What is _me_ then?”

Lyanna would have traded anything to be back in the blazing heat right now. “You know…”

“No I don’t. Come on. What is _me_?”

“I guess…” ‘Don’t say it.’ her brain pleaded. “...Brown?”

“Brown.” Vaeia said flatly. “When you think of me. You think of...brown.”

There was no correct answer to give here. Lyanna was aware enough to know that. “And umm...gold too as well.” she said trying and failing to recover.

“...and gold.” Vaelia replied flatly again. “That’s what you think when you think of my fashion sense.”

‘LIE!’ her internal monologue screamed. ‘SAY NO!’ “...yes” she said sheepishly.

Vaelia took a moment to process it. Lyanna couldn’t visibly see the cogs turning inside her head, as she instead opted to stare at the floor. Anything not meet her eyes. “I never took you for rude Ly-Ly.” she finally said. “But that was a pretty rude thing to say.”

“I’m-I’m sorry.” she said. She could feel tears welling in her eyes.

“It’s all right.” Vaelia said. “I guess I’ll return the dress. Look for something a little more _me_ instead.” Lyanna raised her head to see her sauntering away. Why hadn’t she just chosen to suffer in silence out under the sun instead?

 

* * *

 

Lyanna awoke alone. Again. The room was quiet and the sun had long since risen. Three days now Vaelia had been angry with her, and for three days Lyanna had failed to improve her mood or make amends. It seemed that each time she tried she only ever made things worse. 

She couldn't understand it. Vaelia had always been brazen, never caring what others thought and doing what she liked as she liked. So Lyanna was having trouble understanding why she was so annoyed. Maybe that was the problem she mused. She was trying to solve a riddle when she didn’t actually know what the riddle was.

She sighed to herself and lifted her head to look at the foot of her bed. Hanging on the wall opposite were her robes. Resplendent and dazzling in the morning sun. She spent a good long while staring at them. Clothes. Something about clothes nagged at her. Perhaps they were the solution she seeked for.

She wasn’t sure how though. She wasn’t very good at this kind of stuff. Her whole life until she had met Vaelia had been training, adventure, and seclusion. She had never quite realised how lonely growing up had been for her. She had had Anavon, and that had been enough for her it seemed.

But now she was in a totally new position. Vaelia wasn’t Anavon. She could not treat her the same way she would him. It was a difficult new paradigm for her to get to grips with, she was so inexperienced at the whole relationship thing. It was daunting. But she had to try. She had to do something to try and make it up to her. But what? She pressed her hand to her forehead. “Ugh.” she moaned to herself. “Why is this so hard!?” She would have taken a straightforward fight over this anyday, with blade pressed against blade. That’s what she was good at. That’s where she felt at home.

She again flicked her eyes to her robes and a thought struck her. Maybe if she showed a little humility, humbled herself before Vaelia then that would make alleviate some of the tension. Taking one quick look out the window she climbed from her bed and, after a quick bit of magical adjustment, donned her robes and strode from the room. She knew not where Vaelia was, but she was sure she could find her quickly enough.

 

* * *

 

Four hours later Lyanna floundered her way into the cities central courtyard, and sat down at the fountain there. Vaelia was nowhere to be found. Either she was intentionally avoiding her, or had already left without her. The thought of either wrapped around her heart like like a python constricting its prey.

She began to feel a sullen dull ache inside her. Maybe she had decided to leave. Maybe she had decided that she simply wasn’t worth the trouble. It brought faint tears to the corners of her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hands and sucked in a lungful of air. Staring back upward she found herself in sudden disbelief. There was Vaelia! Sitting outside a small coffee shop someway down the road.

She quickly rose and sprinted towards her. “Vaelia!” she cried. Vaelia, who had been staring off into space while sipping her tea, turned to face her. Her eyes narrowed in response.

“So not merely content to insult me, you now feel the need to mock me?” she said sharply as Lyanna approached.

“What!?” she said taken aback. “No! I want to apologise! To say I’m sorry!”

Vaelia stared her up and down. “And this? This is how you choose to do it?”

“I-” Lyanna started.

“Changing your robes to be brown? This is what you came up with as your big apology.”

Lyanna felt like she had been punched in the gut. She could feel all the moisture in her mouth evaporate. “It’s just- I thought that if-”

Vaelia cocked an eyebrow. “Thought what Lyanna? Hmmm? Tell me what it is you thought?”

Lyanna’s breath was now rasping. “I thought that if I showed you- that- that I don’t care what you wear that-” she fumbled for words. “I don’t know!” she exclaimed loudly. “I just want to show you how sorry I am.” she finished dejectedly.

Vaelia didn’t respond. She crossed her legs over one another and leaned back with arms folded. She seemed to be waiting for her to continue.

“Vaelia. I’m not-” she said. “I’m not good with this sort of thing.”

“What?” she said. “Apologising?”

“No!” she exclaimed. “This!” she said thrusting her hand back and forth between them to indicate the two of them. “Relationships. Love. That whole messed up bag of things!”

“So I’m a bag now? Nothing but a burden am I?” Vaelia asked.

“NO!” Lyanna wailed. “I can’t-I’m not good at expressing myself with this sort of thing.

“Clearly.” Vaelia replied.

“Please Vaelia.” she begged. “What can I do to make it up to you!? To show how sorry I am!?”

She seemed to pause and think for a second, her eyes gazing off into space again. Then she returned them to focus on Lyanna. “Ok then.” she said. “Tell me this. What are you sorry for?”

That caught her totally off guard. “I ugh-”

“Come on. Tell me. Why am I mad with you?” she pressed.

A million thought cascaded through her head. She had breached the heart of the problem in a single question. What was the riddle?

“Is it…” Lyanna said tentatively. “”Is it not because I said you make me think of brown?”

“Oh it was.” she replied. “But that’s not the answer. Not anymore anyway.”

This got more confusing by the second. Lyanna had no idea why she was angry with her now then. She struggled to find an answer. She dug her nails painfully into her palms as the stress started to get to her. Her feet shifted uneasily beneath her. Inside her mind she was banging her head against a wall, trying to think why Vaelia was still angry with her.

At long last, with a regretful tear slipping down her cheek, she admitted defeat. “I-I don’t know.”

“And that’s the problem.” Vaelia said. “You don’t know why your apologising. So how can I accept it?”

Lyanna gazed down at the floor and felt light headed. This was it. How could she recover now!? There was nothing else she could do! This was it! The end! Her world began to spin around slowly as she gasped for air through fresh tears. Her feet wobbled beneath her and before she knew it she was on the floor. Then the sun vanished and shadows took her.

 

* * *

 

She awoke in bed. Evening had settled and night was drawing near. Sitting in a chair next to her was Vaelia, who was sat watching her intensely.

“Oh thank the gods.” she said letting out a sigh of relief. “You’re alright after all.”

“What-What happened?” Lyanna said hoarsely. Her mouth was still dry.

“You passed out.” she replied. “Quite spectacularly to I must say. Made a right scene in the street you did.”

“Oh…” Lyanna mumbled. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Sorry eh?” Vaelia said with a slight sound of besument in her voice.

“Yes.” Lyanna said. “For passing out like that.”

“Why would be sorry for that?” Vaelia said with some befuddlement. “I managed to get a beautiful women to pass out from just talking to me. I call that a great success. For me at least anyway.”

Lyanna smiled but still felt awfully somber inside. “I’m also sorry for-” she paused trying to think of what to say. “I’m sorry for not understanding why.” she finally said.

“Understanding what?” Vaelia plied.

“Why you’re angry at me. I’ve never really- I didn’t have a normal childhood.” Lyanna said. “Not a lot of time for socializing. There were a lot of old men and the few people I did know my age were rarely considered friends. So this is all sort of new to me.”

“You think that excuses you?” Vaelia asked.

Lyanna cast her eyes away. “No” she replied dejectedly.

“Well you’re right about that.” Vaelia said. “But after today I have no doubt that you really do care about me. I mean passing out in the street from being flustered? Gosh that’s a strong show of commitment right there.”

Lyanna turned back and smiled at her. She smiled warmly back. Then her smile faltered and she sighed.

“I wasn’t mad that you didn’t like the dress.” she said suddenly. “I think your reason was perfectly valid. I was mad that you associate me with the colour brown, but on further self  reflection I realise I do wear a lot of brown so I forgave you that.”

“No.” she continued. “The reason I have truly been mad, was that you didn’t seem to understand why I was mad with you in the first place. Which you proved in your fruitless gestures over the last three days to make it up to me.”

“Then what was it?” Lyanna asked quietly.

Vaelia turned to look her in the eyes. “I was angry because you don’t seem to understand that I care about your opinion! You don’t think I care what you think of me!”

Lyanna took that like a hammer blow. “But you’re always telling me you don’t care what people think of you.” she said both sheepishly and confusedly.

“I don’t!” she exclaimed. “I care what you think! You aren’t just people! You’re the women I love! Of course I care what you think!”

The riddle that Lyanna had been struggling with abruptly resolved itself. She finally understood the source of Vaelia’s anger. She was silent a moment as she came to terms with the full implications of it all.

She had been failing to fully understand the nature of their relationship. Failing to see how Vaelia truly saw her. That was a failing born of her own ignorance in how to act in a relationship. But it did not excuse her having remained ignorant of it for so long.

“Vaelia.” Lyanna whispered. “I think I understand now. I’m-I’m…”

Vaelia smiled softly again. “Apology accepted.” she said leaning down and kissing her. “Now then.” she said retreating back. “Let’s put this behind us shall we? New adventures await us and wallowing in our own pity ill suits us I think. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Definitely.” Lyanna replied perking up.

“Good!” Vaelia replied. “Then tomorrow we can set of a whole new series of escapades!” She clambered into bed, pushing Lyanna to one side of it. “But for now I want to snuggle. With you.” she said dipping her head against Lyanna’s chest and resting it there. Lyanna took a breath in, and then exhaled. She smiled softly to herself. She felt whole again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Any feedback would be lovely! What you liked, what you didn't. What resonated with you and so on. I l just love seeing any and all comments! This is a side story I wrote for myself at my friends prompting. It's more to enrich the world and the two main leads more then anything. But I had a blast writing it!


End file.
